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Do you struggle with fatigue? If you’re like most of us hanging around here, you want to know how to have more energy. You’ll be glad to know I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve and I’ll share them below!

Why so tired?

We all struggle with fatigue for various reasons, but I’m a firm believer that being a mom doesn’t have to be one of them. I can attest that even after becoming a mom to four busy boys, my energy levels are better than they were when I was a teenager!

It is not normal to always be tired, even if the demands of motherhood are high.

Fatigue can be caused by a number of factors, including:

autoimmune disease
chronic infections
vitamin and mineral deficiencies
poor sleep habits
poor diet
high stress levels

For most of us, the above factors tend to overlap and feeling energized feels like an uphill battle. Let’s lay out a few things you can start doing right now so you can learn how to have more energy.

How to have more energy and start your day off better: five tips

These are things I personally have prioritized in my own life and have had great results in improving my energy levels.

1. How to have more energy: go to bed earlier

This seems like a no-brainer, but how many of us don’t make it a priority to go to bed earlier? It’s too easy to stay up once the kids have gone to bed to catch up on housework, spend time with your hubby, or just mindlessly zone out on Netflix (I’m guilty of all of the above!).

I have been able to go from going to bed between midnight and 1 am every night to going to bed between 10 & 11 most nights, and often before 10. Here’s how I did it:

I got the kids on a better bedtime routine. Instead of letting them sit around and watch TV because I’m tired and need a break, I try to focus on quiet games and books and avoid TV in the evenings. I started putting them to bed earlier, and, surprisingly, it doesn’t take long for kids to adjust to an earlier bedtime.
I make myself get in bed. Even if I didn’t get the kitchen spotless. Even if I think of things I need to do. I honor my body’s need for rest above other things.
I take a hot epsom salt bath and rub down with magnesium lotion, as magnesium helps induce relaxation.
I put my phone away. Even though I want to watch one more episode of Gilmore Girls. Even when Lorelai’s love life has me on the edge of my seat.
I take herbs or practice counting methods to get to sleep quicker if I need to. You can read about the herbs I use to help me sleep better here.

2. How to have more energy: take adaptogens

I’ve written pretty extensively about how adaptogens have improved my health because they support the adrenal glands. I went from having insomnia, being constantly exhausted and cranky, and losing handfuls of hair, to reversing all of those symptoms.

I fall asleep easily and sleep through the night (if my kids are nice enough to let me, that is); I have more energy and am more even-tempered and patient; my hair grew back and I now have awkward baby hairs to show for it.

Adaptogenic herbs have been one of the main reasons for all of these improvements, and they are uniquely capable of increasing energy when mama needs it, while simultaneously inducing calm when mama’s stressed out. They adapt to your needs.

My favorite adaptogenic herbs include:

Rhodiola- Reputed to be more powerful than other adaptogens, rhodiola supports mental and emotional health by improving the ability to deal with stress, as well as increasing blood flow to the brain. It also combats the effects of excess adrenaline.
Astragalus- Another effective adaptogen, astragalus is helps to support the nervous system and negate the effects of stress. It is quite nutritive, as it contains protein, calcium, magnesium, silica, iron, and vitamins, all of which help to strengthen the body as a whole and impart energy.
Ashwaghanda- Also helpful for calming the nervous system and promoting restful sleep, ashwagandha boosts strength and vitality. It modifies the harmful effects of stress on the body and promotes calmness.
Eleuthero- Known as “Siberian Ginseng,” eleuthero increases vitality, improves mental and physical performance, and protects against stress. It lowers blood-pressure and has powerful anti-fatigue effects.

Make your own powerful adrenal support extract using these easy instructions. I take a dose of adaptogens first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon if I start to feel fatigued.

3. How to have more energy: eat liver

Yup. Unless you are in the baby boomer crowd, you likely didn’t grow up eating liver, and therefore, probably consider it yucky. However, liver is packed full of nutrients that will have you feeling more energized in no time!

Liver is

an excellent source of high-quality protein
nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A, all the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12
one of our best sources of folic acid and a highly usable form of iron
a good source of trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium (liver is our best source of copper); an unidentified anti-fatigue factor; and CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
a good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA

Don’t like eating liver? No problem. You can easily take it in capsule form.

When I’m really on the ball, I make my own liver capsules using this tutorial, but more frequently, I stock up on pre-made liver capsules. These are what I’m taking right now, and I take four capsules every morning before breakfast. (Use code FAMILYHEALS10 for 10% off!)

4. How to have more energy: wake up with magnesium

While some types of magnesium, like Epsom salts and transdermal oils and lotions, can bring calming and relaxation, other types of magnesium provide energy.

I’ve recently been using an awesome type of magnesium that contains not one, not two, but three types of superior magnesium, along with the important cofactor boron for better absorbability. It’s called Wake Up Maggie and it does just that- wakes you up.

Wake Up Maggie is better than coffee to start your day off right. The unique combination of magnesium malate, taurinate and orotate is designed to pep you up and keep you alert for the day ahead.

One scoop of Wake Up Maggie provides 200mg of highly-absorbable magnesium as:

• Magnesium malate
• Magnesium taurinate
• Magnesium orotate
• PLUS 1.5mg of Boron

Get Wake Up Maggie here.

5. How to have more energy: cut sugar

Finally, if you want to start your day off more energized, ditch the sugar.

While it’s best to eliminate sugar altogether from your diet (read about the best natural replacements for sugar here), if you are concerned about starting your day off with more energy, cut out the pastries, breads, and cereals for breakfast and replace them with a high-protein breakfast with good fats and carbs.

For me, the perfect breakfast combo includes pastured eggs, clean bacon or sausage, and a sweet potato.

Find what works for you and fuel your body rather than fatigue it by kicking the refined carbs and sugar to the curb.

And if you want to sleep better, keep the sugar away late in the day as well, as it will prevent you from getting proper rest.

Small changes= big results!

Want to have more energy? Prioritize your sleep, support your energy levels with herbs, eat liver, take the right kind of magnesium, and keep the sugar away.

You’ll see big improvements in energy by making these small changes.

Have a friend who needs to know how to have more energy? Be sure to share using one of our links below!

Sugar, By Any Other Name… Is Still Sugar

First things first. Sugar, no matter how you package it, is still sugar. Honey, fruit, and table sugar are all sugar to your body. However, our bodies do process different sugars a little differently, and, while some sugar sources are void of any nutritional value, some offer some minor benefits, while others are downright poisonous.

The Good

These sweeteners are the best natural options available. They should be your first choice when a craving strikes!

honey, especially raw. Raw honey is not only a great option to satisfy your sweet tooth, but it also offers some health benefits. According to this study, honey has been reported to contain around 200 substances, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Honey also has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and was used in ancient medicine for wound treatment and more. Honey has even been found to be as effective as prescription medications for treating colitis! Another study found that not only did honey cause less of a blood sugar spike than white sugar, but it also may be helpful in treating diabetes, and showed health benefits for the liver, gut, hormonal health and more! A daily spoonful of raw honey not only satisfies a sweet tooth, but it packs quite the nutritional punch! Look for lighter colored, thicker/solid honey labeled “raw” for most nutritional benefit. (I generally don’t worry about buying raw honey if I plan to bake with it.)

dates. Early in my sugar-free days, I discovered dates in the bulk bins of my local grocery store. I fell in love with them and have used them in a variety of ways since! Dates are rich in fiber and boast a high antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral content. This study found dates to be anti-microbial, tumor-inhibiting, anti-inflammatory, and even to help with infertility and relaxation during labor and childbirth! Try making a date paste or caramel sauce with just water and dates to sub as a sweetener in your next recipe, or blend them up with some vanilla, eggs and your milk of choice, then put in an ice cream maker for a delicious date-sweetened ice cream. Or, you can always pop one or two straight in your kisser for a quick treat! Make sure to buy pitted dates or to remove the pits before eating.

maple syrup, pure. One of my favorite sweeteners thanks to the rich flavor, maple syrup is the boiled, concentrated sap of the maple tree. Like honey and dates, maple syrup also contains antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, including manganese and zinc. One study even found maple syrup to have an inhibitory effect on cancer cells!

coconut sugar and maple sugar. These sugars, like those mentioned above, contain vitamins and minerals, but are a little more refined. Coconut sugar is made by dehydrating the sap of palm trees, while maple sugar is made by cooking out the moisture from maple syrup. Both are good replacements in recipes that do best with a granulated sweetener. I adore the texture and flavor of maple sugar, but find my body responds similarly to maple sugar as refined white sugar. It is nice for an occasional special treat though! I like this one, which you can also find here. Another benefit of coconut sugar is that it is low on the glycemic index, meaning it may be a good choice for diabetics.

The Bad

rapadura, sucanat. These less-refined versions of good ol’ white cane sugar are still… sugar. Yes, they have a little more mineral content, but will still be processed as sugar in your body. The darker the sugar, the more mineral content, but these are not good options for regular use.

white sugar. This basic, popular sweetener offers no nutritional benefits. It has been completely refined and is devoid of minerals. The ill health effects of sugar consumption range from obesity to diabetes and more.

stevia. This natural sweetener makes my “bad” list for a couple of reasons. First of all, I just don’t trust anything that is “zero calorie!” Let me explain, when your taste buds absorb something sweet, they signal to your body to prepare for sugars to enter the body. Your blood sugar drops, but then your body doesn’t actually get any sugar to replace it. So then your body has to work overtime to pull sugars from other parts, like your liver, causing a hormone surge and stressing the adrenals. Aside from all that, stevia is often combined with other sweeteners, like artificial sweeteners, so you have to be careful when selecting a source. Plus, it just tastes bad!

The Ugly

artificial sweeteners. Made solely in a laboratory, artificial sweeteners cause a number of health problems, most notably migraine headaches. Don’t fall into the trap of believing foods labeled “sugar free” are healthy alternatives to those containing sugar. Artificial sweeteners affect brain health, and can contribute to behavioral problems in children. Additionally, they can retrain our taste buds to prefer the intensely-sweet flavor of fake foods over the natural sweetness of healthy, whole foods like fruit. They also cause us to crave more sweetness than we were ever supposed to, because the unnatural sweetness is like nothing found in nature. There are many artificial sweeteners, under a number of brand names. Watch out for these: saccharin, acesulfame, aspartame, neotame, and sucralose.

high fructose corn syrup (also called fructose syrup, corn syrup, and fructose). You will find this in many packaged foods. HFCS is responsible, in part, for a growing obesity problem, diseases such as type 2 diabetes, and hyperactivity in children. Because it is chemically-derived from corn starch, it has a much higher sugar content than sugar itself. The high-fructose makeup of this syrup means that instead of our bodies processing it slowly, it goes straight to the blood stream. No wonder it makes kids hyperactive and causes diabetes.

xylitol and other sugar alcohols. While these sugars are “naturally-derived,” they are not naturally made, and use a process called sugar hydrogenation, which actually uses a nickel-aluminum derivative in the industrial process. The worst part for me, however, is that xylitol is often made from corn, which is highly allergenic for a lot of people. You can read about why we avoid corn here. Sugar alcohols also pose the same “zero calorie” problem as stevia.

beet sugar. It is estimated that 50-60% of sugar in the US is actually derived from sugar beets, and food manufacturers are not required to label it as such. The problem with this is that the majority of sugar beets are GMO, so not only does this sugar pose all of the other health concerns of sugar that we’ve discussed, but if you avoid GMOs, they could be sneaking in if you eat sugar frequently.

My best tips for fighting through cravings include:

eat a small spoonful of raw honey

take a detox bath

make sure you’re using the bathroom every day, or use this supplement to help

distract yourself with an activity that doesn’t include food

make a treat that uses natural sugars

pray, pray, pray for the cravings to go away!

Eliminating sugar from your diet takes commitment, but it can be done! It’s so important for your health that you take this leap, and make the choice once and for all to cut refined sugars! Try it for 30 days and see how you feel… you won’t regret it, I promise!

For some inspiration, check out my Pinterest boards, where I pin naturally-sweetened goodies and treats, and be sure to join my Facebook group, Heal Together Community, where we support and encourage one another in this healthy eating journey!

How to Have More Energy: Five Ways to Start Your Day Better